When I was a kid, my mom used to make a homemade BBQ sauce using Coca-Cola as one of its primary ingredients. Now this was the late-70's, when Coca-Cola still had cane sugar rather than the hideousness of HFCS ... moreover, we lived in Columbus, GA and Coca-Cola was damn near mother's milk in the state.
Needless to say, the wheels of progress made Coke less tasty and, by extension, my mom's BBQ sauce cloyingly sweet. But nowadays, there are two ways to turn back the clock and actually make a cola-based sauce that tastes like it was intended to do.
You can get Coca-Cola with real sugar in two ways. The first, and most accessible means, is to pick up a bottle of Coke manufactured in Mexico (here in Texas there are plenty of restaurants that will serve "Mexican Coke" in the old style glass bottle); the only downside to this method is that Coke from south of the border is around $2.00 per 12 ounce serving.
But there's an option that's cheaper and more reasonable ... the kosher for Passover Coca-Cola. Every year in March and April you'll find a limited supply of Coke 12 oz. cans with the OU-P symbol and 2-liter bottles of Coke with yellow caps ... this denotes the kosher Coca-Cola which uses pure cane sugar rather than corn syrup. I usually stock up on a case or two of the canned Cokes for whatever year-long needs I may have.
Is the taste difference a psychosomatic belief or is it a very real phenomenon? All I know is that Mexican or kosher Coca-Cola tastes like childhood.
"Old School" Coca-Cola BBQ Sauce12 oz. Coca-Cola with cane sugar (Mexican or Kosher)
1.5 Cups Heinz ketchup
1/3 Cup worcestershire sauce
1/3 Cup dark brown sugar
1/4 Cup orange juice
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp minced onion
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp Crystal hot sauce
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp salted butter
1 Tsp liquid smoke
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the minced onions; when the onions soften, add your garlic until they start to brown. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. The sauce should have reduced by roughly 1/4 and can then be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
